Apple To Launch MacBooks With All-New Design In Mid 2021 (macrumors.com) 55
Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will launch MacBook models with an all-new design in the second or third quarter of 2021, but did not indicate whether these will be Pro or Air models. As MacRumors points out, "The last significant redesign of the MacBook Pro occurred in October 2016, while the MacBook Air received a major redesign in October 2018." From the report: In a research note today, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said Apple plans to launch MacBook models with its own custom processors in the fourth quarter of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021. Kuo did not indicate whether these will be MacBook Pro or MacBook Air models, or both, nor did he share any further details. Rumors have suggested that Apple is working on custom Arm-based processors that would allow it to transition away from its current MacBook processor supplier Intel, which has occasionally experienced delays with its chips. The company is also planning to launch new MacBooks with scissor keyboards in the second quarter of 2020.
Will be interesting (Score:1)
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Yeah, the problem is, it was a massive ballache last time Apple transitioned from custom processors to Intel, it took ages for all your favourite applications to catchup and stabilise.
But it was worth it, because it opened Apple computers up to far more pieces of software that had previously been Windows only.
This sounds like the fastest way to undo the efforts that led to the migration of many good pieces of Windows software to MacOS, including many games.
It's unlikely they'll resist taking the walled gard
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Re:Will be interesting (Score:5, Interesting)
ARM processors are competitive with x86 in some tasks, not in others. The bigger issue is that they lag behind on the peripheral side. Few PCIe lanes, slow USB and SSD interfaces, that kind of thing.
Those limitations can be overcome but they explain why at the moment even Chromebooks tend to favour x86. This year is probably the earliest that decent ARM laptop chips will be available, and Apple is in the position of being able to optimize the OS around the remaining limitations too.
Where they excel is battery life. I expect that will be a major selling point.
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ARM processors are competitive with x86 in some tasks, not in others. The bigger issue is that they lag behind on the peripheral side. Few PCIe lanes, slow USB and SSD interfaces, that kind of thing. ... (*facepalm*)
That are not limitations of the processor but of the motherboard
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For a long time now things like the PCIe interface has been part of the CPU. Since the memory controller is on the CPU as well it has to be. The memory controller needs to be on the CPU to get the performance required in modern systems.
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For a long time now things like the PCIe interface has been part of the CPU.
I had thought that would be a SoC and not a CPU.
This post says it is a mixed issue, interesting: https://serverfault.com/questi... [serverfault.com]
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Modern PCs have lanes coming from the CPU that directly connect things that need very high bandwidth on a constant basis like the GPU. Some of those lanes go to the chipset which then has it's own PCI-e controller and lanes, so it's kinda like a network switch almost. But those lanes all share the "backhaul" to the CPU so can't all be consuming full bandwidth at once. For stuff that is slow like SATA or audio or gigabit networking it's not an issue, but if you connect things like GPUs or NVMe SSDs to the ch
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The elderly ones and the ones suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome where they believe anything he says. When Ma and Pa Kettle take it in the neck because of Covid-19, the younger ones will start to doubt...err...no they won't. They'll continue to believe whatever that moron spouts.
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A whole swath of worthless models. (Score:3, Insightful)
What the keyboard problems at Appke have created is a whole generation (or multiples) of Macbook that will have an extremely low resale value. If you have a Mac with the ticking time bomb keyboard, it's only a matter of time before failure. Apple has squandered their rep for selling a laptop with high resale value.
Switching over to a total redesign is their way of brushing the issue off the table. Obviously any True Apple Fan will just abandon those old things and line up at the Apple store waving plastic for the new shiney.
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What the keyboard problems at Appke have created...
I guess you have one of those keyboards.
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Don't you mean it's never Appke's fault?
Taking all bets (Score:5, Insightful)
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The keyboard.
Apple have been getting a lot of flack for their crappy keyboard designs, so they'll just remove the keyboard altogether. They'll make a Surface-like device this time - all the brains will be in the screen and there'll be a couple of USB-Cs for connectivity and some magical way to attach a keyboard. Apple will sell a keyboard (probably, knowing them, as an optional extra), but it'll be the same old US-layout-because-no-one-speaks-anything-but-american and may well be butterfly or entirely hapti
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Re:Taking all bets (Score:5, Funny)
- cut to a glamour shot of a slab with a keyboard and touchpad on it -
By cutting out the monitor, our radical new design is able to be 50% lighter, 75% more power efficient, and generates 100% less ambient light that could interfere with your sleep. This bold new design will enable you to take your Macbook to incredible new locations, stay active for longer than ever before, and separate your work and private life in ways you never thought possible. Starting at $8999.
- audience bursts into applause -
Apple: Think Different.
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All the ports. It will just have wireless charging and Bluetooth for all peripherals.
The iPad is almost there, the USB-C port can't be used for much other than charging and I'm sure they would have loved to ditch it if they had managed to get their wireless charger working.
foldable screen, no keyboard (Score:2)
They will have a foldable screen. Can work as a tablet (flat) or as a laptop (bent) with a virtual keyboard on one half, the display on the other. Now, they don't need to have any keyboard mechanisms to go bad.
Perhaps they will also have the courage to remove one or two important ports.
New architecture? (Score:3)
I am blind (Score:4)
Thicker? (Score:5, Insightful)
So many of the systemic problems can be directly traced to Apple's misguided crusade of thinness. The keyboard, the failing display cables, the lack of standard removable/upgradeable SSDs and RAM (that's Apple's excuse at least, I can point to designs that are as thin or thinner that manage removable batteries, RAM and M.2 SSDs just fine). And of course, the lack of sufficient usable standard ports.
The smartest thing Apple could do would be to do a 180 and make the laptop a reasonable thickness again. Of course, this would mean admitting they were wrong... and a repairable/upgradeable laptop isn't as lucrative for their bottom line... so it'll never happen.
It takes "courage" to demonstrate such utter contempt for your own customers.
Let me guess. (Score:2)
A brushed metal clamshell design laptop. Improved specs that matches current generation computers,
I am sorry the modern MacBook looks nearly the same as my old 2002 Powerbook Ti.
However over the past decade or so, the big changes in laptops have been in the PC Market. Such as the Lenovo Yoga design, and Microsoft Surface. Like it or not, having it to work in tablet mode, actually changes on how you may use the laptop in some cases.
However I more or less like the standard ThinkPad design. as even after nearl
Macbook Pros Not Updated? (Score:5, Informative)
> "The last significant redesign of the MacBook Pro occurred in October 2016"
What? Did I just imagine that the very last update less than six months ago included a keyboard update, a 16" screen, dedicated escape key, up to 64GB of RAM, up to 8TB of storage, a revamped cooling setup to avoid thermal throttling, and much better speakers? How is that not an update? How is that not a bigger update than the much-maligned 2016 model?
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Backtracking to (partially) fix their own mistakes and adding the same upgrades as every other manufacturer doesn't count as a "significant redesign", it's just a regular upgrade.
Even then, the new scissor keyboard isn't as good as the old one and having a physical escape key isn't enough when all the function keys are still being replaced by the touch bar.
I'm hoping to see even better decisions for the MacBook Air update, but at this point my hopes are extremely low.
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I am hoping the future MB models will have these good features.
About time (Score:2)
How? (Score:2)
The company is also planning to launch new MacBooks with scissor keyboards in the second quarter of 2020.
How will they manage this, with China completely shut down?
Green warrior (Score:2)
The excuse for the aluminum casing was that it was supposed to be easier to dispose of.
I doubt that but it did make them heavy
How about using something plant based or at least biodegradable?
While they are at it how about not filling them with glue and making them up-gradable and repairable.
Re:Green warrior (Score:4, Insightful)
AFAIK aluminium is infinitely recyclable. Making their machines upgradable would be better for the environment in the long term.
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> AFAIK aluminium is infinitely recyclable
Yes, but so soft that nearly everybody gets a plastic shell to protect it. See where that's greenwashing?
They could make everything structural out of hemp like Henry Ford did but the resins aren't lightweight and Apple has backed itself into a corner where they claim lightweight is so desireable but really it's an excuse to make everything non-repairable which is great for their revenues and terrible for the environment.
"But Aluminum" - see?
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People get a shell to protect the display of their phone, which is an entirely different problem.
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My mistake, we're talking about laptops, not phones...
People who get plastic shells for their laptops are in the extreme (and weird) minority.
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K12 might be the exception, I've never seen anyone with a plastic shell on their laptops.
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Aluminium is not soft.
And none of my laptops has a plastic extra shell.
And when I see some in public by other people, those have no "extra plastic shells" either.
I get an "old" one (Score:2)
Who gives a shit (Score:1)
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You, apparently. You gave enough of a shit to open the story and comment on it. You absolutely could have just ignored it in favor of more important things.
It deserves to wait (Score:1)
The thing is if they want to use custom Arm-based processors that allow them to transition away from their current processor supplier Intel, they gonna deal with many challenges. They might face some troubles involving the stability of applications, the speeds and more.
Regarding the design, these recent Macbook models are good enough to impress me. I suppose that I will upgrade my Macbook if Apple offers <a href="https://couponfor
It deserves to wait (Score:1)